Rotary engine.



H. LEE, ROTARY ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED 00T.s,1907.

Patented Oct. 27, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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wizncsses. JQ/ K M H. LEE. ROTARY ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED OUT. 8,1907.

Patented Oct. 27, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Ill/Ill I rwentor.

HERBERT LEE, OF KENSINGTON, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 27, 1908.

Application filed October 8, 1907. Serial No. 396,389.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT LEE, a subj ect of the King of Great Britainand Ireland, residing at Bowral street, Kensington, near Sydney, in theState of New South Wales, in the Commonwealth of Australia, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Steam-Engines, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a rotary steam engine whichby reason of consisting of fewer parts, will be simpler of constructionand more highly efficient than any of those now in use and which will becapable of being instantaneously reversed.

The essential features of the invention consist of a vane or piston(hereinafter called the piston) sliding backwards and forwards through ahub rotating within a cylinder of peculiar construction as hereinafterdescribed. But in order that my invention may be clearly understood Ishall now refer to the accompanying drawings in which Figure l is aperspective view of the engine complete. Fig. 2 is section on plane 2-2of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is section on line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is crosssection through exhaust chamber. Fig. 5 is perspective view of thepiston vane.

The hub a is secured to the spindle b within the cylinder 0 and iscarried round in its course by the sliding piston d provided with theshoes 6, e fulcrumed thereon. The steam enters the steam chest 7c by thepipe t, passes through one of the ports f or w and escapes by one of theexhaust ports 9 or w. A slide valve h attached to the rod 3' operateswithin the steam chest closing either of the ports as required. Theouter periphery of the hub is recessed, as shown, to permit of the shoes6, e receding therein when the piston obtains its maximum projection inthe opposite direction (as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2). Theaperture in the hub through which the piston slides is renderedsteam-tight by the packing bars r, 1*. Packing rings 1;, v are providedwithin the walls of the cylinder for the purpose of forming steam tightjoints with the ends of the hub, while another packing block m, formsasimilar joint with its outer periphery. A packing block y is providedon either edge of the piston to form steamtight joints with the verticalsides of the cylinder.

The exhaust chamber contains a slide l valve 7t secured to the rod 79for the purpose of closing either exhaust port at will. Both slidevalves 71 and n are operated by the lever handle (1 and the necessaryconnecting rods (as shown in Fig. 1.) The parts are so adjusted that thesteam-port and the exhaust on opposite sides of the hub are open at thesame time.

The method of obtaining the correct formation of the inner periphery ofthe cylinder is as follows :'A circle with a diameter of the length ofthe piston is marked, then on a center line of this circle anothercircle is described of a radius equal to that of the hub. The center ofthe smaller circle is at a point on the center line of the larger one,which will permit of the circumferences of the two circles touching atone point (as shown in Fig. 2).

In arriving at the actual contour of the cylinder it will be necessaryto deviate from the true circle as much as is necessary to permit theends of the piston when revolving therein to maintain continuous contactwith the periphery of the cylinder, see Fig. 2, wherein thecircumference of the true circle is indicated by the dotted lines.

The method of operating the invention is as follows The parts being inthe positions shown in Fig. 2, when the steam is admitted into the steamchest 70, passing through the open port f into the cylinder, it bears onthe face of the piston, forcing it round in clockwise direction (asindicated by the arrowheads) thus rotating the hub and its spindle.

When in the position shown. in Fig. 2 the piston is balanced, an e ualarea of it projecting either way from t 1e hub, but on account of theposition of the hub and the form of the inner periphery of the cylinder,as the piston moves forward, one end is driven into the hub and theother is projected further outwards till, when the vertical position isreached, one of the end-shoes has receded within the recess cut for itin the periphery of the hub, while the other end of the piston isprojected its maximum distance (see dotted lines in Fig. 2). As thepiston continues its course onward from the vertical, the projected endbegins to recede and the other to project from the hub till, when thehorizontal is reached, the equipoise is again established.

It is obvious that the shoes 6, e fulcrumed on the ends of the piston,moving in conformity with the contour of the: cylinder:

must maintain throughout a steam-tight contact therewith.

When it is desired to reverse the engine, the lever handle q is pulledover which movement causes the valves h and n to close respectively theadmission port f and the exhaust port 9 and to open the admission port wand exhaust port 0:. piston to move round the cylinder in the irectionopposite to that-indicated by the.

arrow heads.

What I claim and desire tosecu-reby Let-' tGISzPZLlZGHt is:-

1. A rotary engine comprising-an. engine cylinder, a cylindrical pistonhub revolubly mounted in the engine cylinder and eccentrically arrangedwith regard to the inner-cir cumference thereof, apiston slidablethrough the piston hub, shoes. fulcrumed to the ends of the pistonengaging, with the inner surface of the engine: cylinder,pa'ckingqbarswithin the piston hub engaging the iston, packingrings-withinthe wall ofthe cy inder engaging:

rings within thewalls ofthe cylinder engagw ing the. ends of thepiston-hub, a packing This will cause the block within the cylinderengaging the peripheral surface of the hub, packing blocks for the sideedges of the piston to engage with the inner surface of the cylinder, asteam chest, an inlet pipe for the steam chest, ports for the admissionof the steam from the steam chest into the engine cylinder, exhaustports for the engine cylinder slide valves controlling the exhaustports, and means for actuat ing'the slide valves.

3. A rotary engine-comprising an engine.

cylinder a. cylindrical piston hub revolubly mounted in the enginecylinder and eccentrically' arrangedwith regardto the innercircumference thereof ,apiston slidable through the piston hub, shoesfulcrumed to the ends of the piston engaginggwith the inner. surface oftheengine cylinder, packingv bars Within the piston hubengagingthepiston, packing rings within the Walls of the cylinder engaging the endsof. the; piston hub, a packing;

block within the cylinder engaging'the peripheral surface of the. hub,packing 1 blocks for the side-edges of thexpistonto engage with theinner surface' ofthe cylinder, a steam chest, an inletpipefor-the steamchest, ports for the admission of the steam from the steam chests intothe-engine cylinder; ex.- haust ports for the engine cylinder, slidevalves controlling the exhaust'ports, means for-actuating the slidevalves, and means for reversing theaaction of the slide valvescontrolling. :the inlet and outlet ports.

In testimony whereof I affix my-signnature inpresence ofxtwo witnesses.

HERBERT LEE.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM NEWTON, WALTER. SIGMONT;

